Sinquefield Rd9: Wesley So takes first

8/15/2016 – With so many players breathing down his neck, it was a wonder that a draw was sufficient for Wesley So to take clear first, and yet it almost wasn’t so. Veselin Topalov was the unlucky soul who reached a winning position against Aronian for a long time but failed to convert it, finishing fifth on tiebreak. The two wins of the day were signed by Caruana and Nakamura over Giri and Ding Liren respectively. Final report with GM analysis.

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2016 Sinquefield Cup

The 2016 Sinquefield Cup is an elite international event, featuring 10 of the strongest chess players in the world. Over the course of nine rounds, these competitors will battle for $300,000 in prize money (first: $75,000, second: $50,000, third: $40,000, last: $15,000) plus points toward the Grand Chess Tour and the coveted title of 2016 Sinquefield Cup Champion.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators worldwide are expected to enjoy the all-star commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade as they provide keen insights and analysis, in depth player interviews and witty discussions. Commentary is also available on the CCSCSL YouTube Channel, Livestream and Twitch.

Round nine

Sponsor and patron Rex Sinquefield is also always a good sport and self-effacing in his interviews

If the final round, and ending of the tournament, were to be described in a word, it would be ‘anticlimactic’. By no means is this meant as a slur of Wesley So, who won the great Sinquefield Cup as sole first and a magnificent feather to his cap, or to the other players, all the very cream of the crop in the chess world. However, as reader Arthur Nugent put it, “Yes, everyone is close in rating but boring results!”

The round was hardly denuded of excitement, either in anticipation before the start, or during the round after the action had started, but somehow, despite all the rumbling and spewing the promised volcanic eruption never seemed to take place. Three Berlins in five games no doubt played a role in this.

Wesley So took first and that is what counts!

In the first game, Wesley So faced MVL who had black, and the foremost question was whether the Frenchman would be able to defeat the leader to bring him down to his size and set up a potential tiebreak. This never seemed to happen. So played the Berlin, and though the endgame did produce a few tactical sparks, these were more along the lines of handwaving from the famous illusionist David Copperfield than genuine magic. When they shook hands, it came as no surprise to anyone.

There is no question MVL came with the intention of changing the fate of the event, but it did not work out

Right behind So, just a half point away, were three players: Aronian, Anand, and Topalov. Should any of them win, they would draw level with Wesley and a tiebreak match would be played. Tiebreak scores are only for the alternate places, but the tournament winner was going to be decided by combat.

Vishy Anand’s task was certainly nothing easy as he played black against Svidler, and though the Russian had had serious trouble in the event, that hardly meant he was a pushover for the last round. Anand’s choice of the Berlin did not mean he was seeking a peaceful end, but rather a protracted battle that left him room and time to try to outplay his opponent. Sadly for the Indian’s many fans, there seemed no chance this would take place as Svidler held his own comfortably and drew.

Anand had a significant mountain to climb, break down a top experienced grandmaster with black. It did not work out as he might have hoped, but he still took second place.

The two next players with a chance actually had to duke it out between themselves: Veselin Topalov and Levon Aronian. This was by far the greatest letdown for chess fans in general, and certainly a massive disappointment for Topalov. This was the third Berlin of the round, chosen by the Armenian, and whatever his intentions were they certainly did not materialize as he found himself in an inferior rook and bishop endgame. Things went from worse to outright bad for Black, and the Bulgarian had a winning position once he transitioned to a rook endgame. Time and time again he failed to find the clearest path, and whether from fatigue, overconfidence, or nerves, his last chance evaporated as did his opportunity to force a tiebreak with So.

Although most fans were glued to their seats waiting to see if Topalov would convert or not, the day did not end on a tally of five draws. It is not without irony that the two wins of the day were precisely games that had no effect on the top spot.

The fastest game of the day was none of the ones described above, and if it is brought up in the end, it is not because the game was poor by any means, but simply because from a sporting point of view, the main interest was in the games that affected the winner of the tournament. Playing white, Hikaru Nakamura defeated Ding Liren in no time at all, and after 28 moves the Chinese player resigned. Nakamura faced a Semi-Slav, and after choosing a slightly less popular, but reputable line with 14.b3, his opponent immediately went astray and never recovered from his misstep.

It was 14 moves of theory rattled out at full speed, and another 14 to win

The second decisive game was between Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri, and compounding the misery (in chess) of the likable Dutch player, his Open Ruy Lopez went sour in the middlegame and Caruana was mercifully efficient in his win, not dragging it out any longer than needed. This did put Caruana at plus one with 5.0/9, the same score as Anand, Aronian, and Topalov, but left him in fourth on tiebreak, behind Anand and Aronian, though just ahead of Topalov.

Fabiano's positive thinking was reflected as much in his game as in his t-shirt

Fabiano Caruana - Anish Giri (annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabadi)

In the end, one must congratulate So for his victory, even if lamenting the modest score that still gave him sole first. However, it was up to his rivals to show him up if they felt likewise. In second place was Anand, and third Aronian.

Anish shows what he thinks of his game and his tournament

Garry Kasparov is already there, ready for good times with the Ultimate Moves

On Tuesday August 16 will be the Ultimate Moves challenge with Garry Kasparov, and promises to be a ton of fun as usual. Be sure to not miss it.

Closing ceremony

Trophies and winner's check

Two players pondering their last round wins and possibly missed opportunities in the event

A happy Wesley So next to a jubilant Kasparov

Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield bestowing the prizes and first place check for US$75 thousand

Wesley So, winner of the 2016 Sinquefield Cup

Garry Kasparov, Wesley So, Jeanne Sinquefield, and Rex Sinquefield

About GM Elshan Moradiabadi

Elshan Moradiabadi is a GM born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He moved to the US in 2012. Ever since, he has been active in US college chess scenes and in US chess.

Elshan co-authored "Chess and the Art of War: Ancient Wisdom to Make You a Better Player" with Al Lawrence. He has also published written articles for ChessBase, and edited opening materials for fellow authors.

Elshan Moradiabadi is a veteran instructor and teaches chess to every level, with students ranging from beginners to IM. He can be contacted for projects or teaching at his email.

Albert SilverBorn in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications.

See also

8/24/2017 – In 2005 Garry Kasparov, World Champion from 1985 to 2000 and arguably the best player of all times, withdrew from tournament chess. At the Grand Chess Tour Rapid- and Blitz Tournament in Saint Louis in August 2017 he dared a comeback and played a serious tournament again. His final score of 13.0/27 indicates that he was not as dominant as he used to be - but how good did he play, how good was his opening repertoire and did he miss chances? Let's take a closer look. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

See also

8/30/2016 – How does one win a super tournament where the average rating of the participants is 2778? How does a self-made super grandmaster function? What sort of discipline and sacrifices are required to become one of the best in the world? In this interview with Wesley So we try to not only get answers to the above questions, but also dissect So's games, novelties and psychology from the Sinquefield Cup 2016. Wesley's mantra is straightforward: "I live a simple and happy life and that’s how I want it to stay!

Video

On this 60 mins video we are going to concentrate on a simple, very solid idea in the main line Scandinavian, which even Magnus Carlsen has used to win games. Black focusses on making his life easy in the opening and forces White to work very hard to get advantage – but it is doubtful if White can get an advantage. Club players are always on the lookout for effective, time-saving solutions and here we have just that. Accompany FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin on this 60 mins video. You can learn a new opening system in 60 mins and start to play it with confidence on the very same day!

Discuss

@stoosans...Many thanks for responding! The moves seem to have been corrected now or something but when I played the moves earlier that pawn wasn't there for some reason. :) LOL Anyway, well done Wesley...it's about time you came out of the shadows of Nakamura and Caruana to hold your own title!

Petrarlsen 8/16/2016 09:28

@libyantiger : Carlsen is clearly one of the players that I prefer, but for the Sinquefield Cup your comment is not perhaps the most appropriate, as Carlsen, who participated in the three editions of the Sinquefield Cup, won only the first, and was afterward beaten by Caruana in 2014 and Aronian in 2015 !!

libyantiger 8/16/2016 08:41

enjoy titles in the absence of carlsen

wordsmith97 8/16/2016 04:16

it seems to me that the writer is a little bit unappreciative of Wesley's achievement. I just wish that he has a talent in chess that can hold a candle to Wesley's. Until that happen, please give credit to whom it is due.

stoosans 8/16/2016 12:36

mwilfred - it's not a discovered check. Not from Qe5, and not from Rg - seeing how Black's g4 pawn blocks g-file

I Agree , Giri's performances were affected due to marrying too young ...hard to see him coming back to top 10 any soon. he needs a serious break from chess to think about himself.

mango hills 8/16/2016 09:28

Wesley So is a young, natural talent, very extra ordinary, a rare breed, a rare find. He deserves to be Number 1.

GregEs 8/16/2016 08:38

Wow great report for the closing of Sinquefield elite Tournament. Nice photos and thorough analysis of the last round games. Seems one of the youngest player [GM So] won this tournament. While the other youngest [GM Giri] was not performing well but will surely be back in his form.

Congratulations to all winners, and thanks to ChessBase for the updated news since Round 1 of Sinquefield.

geraldsky 8/16/2016 08:19

Giri's performances were affected due to marrying too young like Karjakin before.

Petrarlsen 8/16/2016 07:24

I think that many persons don't really put things completely in perspective, concerning the results of this tournament.

The level of the tournament was very high (there wasn't any player below 2750), and we can't expect comparable scores as in tournaments such as Dortmund, for exemple (where there were 3 players out of 8 who were below 2700).

First exemple, the winner, Wesley So : his performance was 2857. It is exactly the present rating of Magnus Carlsen ! This means that his level of play in this tournament was exactly equal to Carlsen's present average level of play ! Really, nothing to be ashamed of, in my opinion !

Second exemple, Veselin Topalov ; vincero says about him that he : "simply can no longer concentrate at such a level the entire game.... any longer". But his rating performance was 2819 - and his best Elo rating in all his career was 2816. So he was playing at a globally very honorable level. Obviously, he can do better sometimes, but no one can play his very best chess in every tournament, and this tournament certainly doesn't seem to have been a bad tournament for Topalov, considering his rating performance. As an aside, Topalov's best Elo rating (2816) was only last year (in July 2015...), so we certainly can't say that he is an old player who can't really play good chess anymore !...

It can be noted that the five first players have a 2800+ performance ; I don't think that it happens every day to have a tournament with half of the players having a 2800+ performance as in this case...

barocchio 8/16/2016 07:18

In 2014 and 2015, Magnus Carlsen participated but didnt win.

karlmarx2000 8/16/2016 04:43

GM Wes is the champion of this event, even if some of your lines disliked the outcome of the tournament.. Had Carlsen won this one, your words may be more positive.. IMO... hehehe..

Pentium Infinite 8/15/2016 10:12

These happens when Carlsen is absent.

notyetagm 8/15/2016 08:06

@CostaMaison3: Yes, at Bilbao and now Sinquefeld Cup Giri was winless -3 and clear last.

Bilboa: +0 -3 =7
S. Cup: +0 -3 =6

vincero 8/15/2016 04:33

TOPalov easily should have had 5 wins,,,,,but simply can no longer concentrate at such a level the entire game.... any longer

johnmk 8/15/2016 03:06

Congrats to Wesley. IMO, he won with ... solid play. He was solid all along and when two opponents made inaccuracies he pounced and cleaned up with fantastic technique.

ulyssesganesh 8/15/2016 02:49

probably a football score (3 pts. for a win and 1pt. for a draw would have ensured more fight and more decisive games!

vinniethepooh 8/15/2016 08:41

Relief!By winning the last round,Caruana avoided the title-Draw Master,which Giri got in the Candidates.... :)

Denix 8/15/2016 08:38

Congratulations to Wesley! The +2 formula works!

CostaMaison3 8/15/2016 08:34

This is the second tournament in a row for Giri to score the last place in the final standing.